How Do I Make My Dog and Cat Get Along?
If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet I’m sure you’ve run across these videos; dogs and cats being just the cutest companions to each other. Vastly different from the stereotype and movie trope that the two species are mortal enemies, locked in constant battle for the most popular pet. These videos promote camaraderie, friendship, and even love between the two. This may make you look down at your own four-legged companion and wonder “Would you be this cute with a sibling? Would you want one?” You begin to imagine what it would be like having the best of both words - a committed canine companion and a fantastic feline friend. It can’t be that hard to put the two together, can it? There’s hundreds of videos of them together on the internet, after all!
While anyone would love to say it’s that simple the reality is, most of those videos are outliers, not the norm. It may be likely you are able to make it work between a dog and cat, ultimately the choice to love each other is theirs. You can assist their bonding by taking certain steps and processes, sure, but it is no walk in the park. There is a lot of prep work to be done before introducing the two, and a lot of factors that affect those rules. Those factors and how long each step takes will vary from dog-to-dog and breed-to-breed. However, we can give you a general rule of thumb. Considering a trainer to help walk you through this process safely is going to be key to making sure things work out between both animals and you place their best paws forward!
Have A Way Out
You will always have to consider preparing a way out for your cat. Whether the cat came first, or you are introducing your dog to a new feline friend - you have to make sure the smaller animal has a way to escape any situation and create distance. In the majority of these cases, this will be the cat. Where the majority of cats are expert climbers, and dog’s not so much, giving them a way up and out is going to be your biggest step in this process.
One of the first things you will want to do is create a “dog-free” zone that will have all of the essentials the cat may need; food, water, bedding, and a litter box. This is a private room in your house dedicated to your cat. If you want to really open up the space to be a comfort zone, adding toys and food-puzzles for the cat are highly encouraged as well! You can prime your cat for the big day with cat towers that create a jungle gym feel. Show your cat that there are paths in the room that help them navigate the space on a higher-level, you can do this with play if they aren’t natural explorers. For cats that are more bush-dwellers rather than tree-dwellers, giving them caves or black-out zones can help them acclimate and warm up to the space as well. Make sure these hiding spots are able to be replicated in the rest of the house, giving them an escape from the dog if they feel necessary! The goal with this room is for them to have a sanctuary to decompress as well as letting them safely learn how to eventually navigate the majority of the house in a way that feels comfortable to them. This space is going to reflect the rest of your home - where ideally you will have plenty of towers, shelves, and cabinetry that will let your cat move about the space above your dog if needed, or tunnels and cat holes to escape to other rooms quickly for the cats who aren’t prone to climbing. Nothing should feel disjointed if you can avoid it, the cat should always have a way to get out of any situation and escape to higher ground if they feel uncomfortable for any reason and the more they can smoothly traverse the better!
Connecting Through Smells
Both cats and dogs have remarkable senses of smell - cats have a sense of smell around 14 better than us and dogs with a sense of smell a minimum of 10,000 times more acute than ours! While the dog's nose blows both ours and the cats out of the water, both animals respond well to food-based association as proven with dog and cat trainers - using food to pair different responses.
First, introduce them by feeding each animal on opposite sides of a door. You can also give high rewards around the same door if you want to use more opportunities than just mealtime. With the dog in particular, taking something from the cat’s sanctuary and using it to pair scent and reward are good ways to speed up that positive association. With the cat, using a high value treat, catnip, or a toy near the door will help achieve a similar effect. Keep in mind a cat that is relaxed enough to play is a cat making good progress!
Your goal is to have each animal calm or pleased to be around the other scent! Once that is achieved you can move on to the next phase, this may take a few days or weeks depending on the animal. You want to make sure they are showing positive interest and not too much fixation, especially on the dog’s part.
Training and Play Association
Once your animals are used to each other's smells, it is time to let them finally meet face-to-face. Remember, safety is your first priority here! This is where training in your dog will be what makes or breaks this first introduction. Cats tend to make initial decisions about dogs very fast - failing a first impression here can set the groundwork for a rocky relationship down the road.
Start with your dog on-leash and primed for performing obedience. Let your cat out of their sanctuary, allowing them to explore their new space freely while your dog holds a calm down-stay or other obedience command. Lower to the ground is less threatening to the cat, generally speaking. Reward your
pup for watching and - more importantly - breaking their attention on the cat. Giving you more attention than the cat is a good sign. If you find your dog “tracking” or following the cat, it is time to reassess and rework your introduction plan! Consider at this point getting a trainer to help things go smoothly, before they go worse.
If your dog is successfully breaking attention, introduce faster movements from your cat. Getting them to engage with a toy or a light. Consider this as training for both animals, do not push it or overdo it! After a successful encounter, give them breaks and separate them - show each animal that there are ways out of the situation and how to do so. It is better to constantly end on good notes, and not try to push either animal's boundaries. Like we said before, ultimately how close they want to be will be up to them, not us.
Full Freedom
With the success of the introduction you can begin to give each animal more freedom, always keeping a watchful eye. Knowing the boundaries of your pets is a very good piece of information to watch for. If you know your dog is intolerant of others lingering in their face, encourage your cat to move away! If you know your cat doesn’t enjoy being poked or prodded, encourage your dog to keep a healthy distance!
Opening up lines of communication between two separate species is very important if you want them to cohabitate! Remember, they don’t speak each other’s language, so you have to be the bridge. The more they know and can understand what the other wants from them, the easier it will be for both animals to make correct and safe choices without your constant intervention.
Ultimately, how close and how friendly your dog and cat will be with each other is highly dependent on their own unique personalities. Some cats will never be the cuddly groomer for your pup, and your pup may never be the strong protector. You cannot force them to love each other, that has to come from a mutual connection formed naturally between the two. Sometimes that is easier when getting a younger animal, one that learns and develops while forming the boundaries shaped by the older sibling. An adult dog may be more tolerant of a kitten invading their space and initiating play. An older cat may prefer a younger puppy, currently small enough to lay boundaries without being afraid of a 40+ pound animal arguing back.
Introducing two animals, especially two from different species can be stressful, but you don’t have to do it alone! At Final Call Dog Training we strive to make this process as easy for you as possible. Coming from backgrounds of introducing dogs and cats on a personal level, we want nothing more than to show you the steps to achieve the success we have. Making sure your dog is prepared to listen to any command you give, and giving you a deeper insight into their personal boundaries and tolerances can help you make a more informed decision when choosing a cat to introduce and planning how to address each new situation!
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